Farming is in Katie Jones’ blood. Hailing from generations of farmers, when she landed a role as a trainee reporter at Farmers Guardian nearly 20 years ago, it was her dream job. Now the publication's editor, she is an authentic, credible voice in farming and the FG audience laps it up. In her weekly newsletter, which regularly sees a 40% open rate, she gives an insight into what is happening within her own farming business. She knows what's keeping readers awake at night and her passion for the industry coupled with her journalistic skill is what sets her apart.

In a sector defined by decline, Katie has driven growth and relevance for Farmers Guardian. A campaigner by nature, she has spearheaded the FG’s Save Britain's Family Farms campaign, marching the streets of central London alongside readers to protest against damaging Government policies.

She leads from the front and has carefully reshaped the editorial team to reduce focus on the weekly print title and has appointed a digital editorial lead and two video producers. A significant increase in video output, podcasts and digital news stories have driven huge social growth, engagement, data collection and ultimately revenue.

Farmers Guardian’s ambitious digital targets mean the content team has had a shift in focus. As a result of users trusting the FG brand for its consistency and accuracy, the team saw website views for 2025 go up 25% in comparison to 2024 stats, to just over 3 million. Total users increased by 4.7% to 1.2m and user engagement increased by 19.2%.

The social strategy has resulted in 23% growth across all platforms (January 2025-December 2025) and the FG now boast more than 550,000 followers.

Working closely with the commercial team, Farmers Guardian have identified emerging topic areas that will interest both readers and commercial partners. These include regenerative farming, and farm diversification as farmers look at ways to complement and bolster their traditional income routes.

Katie is laser focussed on delivering what farmers want, helping them do business better. She is also acutely aware of the history and heritage of the 181-year-old brand. Each new initiative Katie and the team have launched has been researched and crafted to deliver for the audience, as well as being monetised. For example, the team’s monthly webinars attract sponsorship of £2-4k/month. They have created brilliantly engaging opportunities for advertising clients to communicate with the growing audiences.

Under Katie Jones' leadership, Farmers Guardian has undergone a complete transformation into a multichannel powerhouse with growing revenues and audiences, setting the brand up for success over the next 180 years.

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